Caltrans Says It Did Right Thing With Left-Turn Backup on PCH

Dear Street Smart:

The left-turn pocket turning from southbound Pacific Coast Highway onto Crown Valley Parkway is not long enough. Cars turning left often back up, spilling onto Pacific Coast Highway, creating a dangerous obstacle.

It seems to me that this problem could easily be solved. Couldn’t the center island be removed and the lanes extended back in its place? It appears as though it is wide enough, and it wouldn’t cost that much.

Christian Cooper

South Laguna

Rose Orem, a spokeswoman for Caltrans, says that left-turn pocket is long enough. Another problem is causing the traffic backups, she said.

A Caltrans field investigation of the area revealed an intermittent problem with one of the vehicle detectors in the traffic signal, Orem said. The problem is causing the light cycle to operate ineffectively, she said.

Caltrans has since repaired the detector, Orem said. Because it was an intermittent problem, maintenance crews will follow up their repair work by monitoring this intersection.

Dear Street Smart:

As you drive south on the San Diego Freeway approaching the El Toro Y, there are cameras mounted underneath a couple of the underpasses directed in the car-pool lanes. What are these for?

Who is watching them? Where are they being watched?

Gregg Depasquale

Costa Mesa

Seven television cameras are placed along Interstate 5 and the San Diego and Laguna freeways, said Rose Orem, a Caltrans spokeswoman. They were used in a study conducted from December, 1990, to March, 1993, which monitored, among other things, car-pool lane speed and at what points car-pool lane traffic merged into regular traffic lanes.

Since the study ended, the cameras have not operated, Orem said. But those cameras and eight others will be incorporated into a fiber optic system that Caltrans is installing along the San Diego and Costa Mesa freeways and Interstate 5, she said.

The cameras will go on-line in the spring of 1995 and will be able to provide Caltrans with information about traffic accidents or congestion as it happens, Orem said. The cameras will be controlled and monitored from Caltrans’ traffic management center in Santa Ana.

Dear Street Smart:

What is the appropriate way to park in a cul de sac? Should I park parallel to the curb or perpendicular to the curb?

L. Glenn

Irvine

Parallel parking is required in all situations unless otherwise indicated, according to the California Vehicle Code. Local authorities may permit angle parking by ordinance only, the code states. Motorcycles are the exception to this rule.

The Orange County Transportation Authority and the city of Huntington Beach are working together to improve traffic conditions on another segment of Beach Boulevard as part of the OCTA Smart Street Program. Construction begins today along 2.3 miles of the busy thoroughfare between Ellis Avenue and the San Diego Freeway.

Improvements will include pavement rehabilitation, an additional traffic lane and traffic signal synchronization. The project also will add turn lanes at the intersections with Ellis Avenue, Warner Avenue and Stark Street.

The construction contract was awarded to R.J. Noble of Orange. Noble’s bid of $2.8 million was 32% lower than the original engineer’s estimate.

Primary funding comes from Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent transportation sales tax. Additional funding also is being provided by Huntington Beach to improve the street’s pavement for a smoother ride.

Completion of the project is expected in six months.